Michigan could be the next state to ban partial-birth abortions following a Supreme Court decision in April 2007 upholding a federal ban on them. States are banning the abortions to allow local officials to assist federal authorities in enforcing the law and in case the federal law is ever repealed.
The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out Senate Bills 160-161 on Tuesday and the bills would prohibit partial birth abortions (SB 160) and provide sentencing penalties for anyone convicted of violating the law (SB 161). Both measures received a 3-1 vote to move on to the next stage of the legislative process — the full state Senate.
Senators Rick Jones, Tonya Schuitmaker and Tory Rocca voted for the bills and Sen. Bieda raised a procedural objection and voted against SB 160 and abstained from voting for SB 161.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing testified in support of a ban prohibiting partial birth abortion.
Listing said, “Now is the time for Michigan to finally place this measure to protect babies who are inches from being born on our law books once and for all.”
Those representing Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union voiced their opposition to a ban on partial birth abortion.
Visit the Right to Life of Michigan web site to hear Barbara Listing explain the harsh reality of partial birth abortion and Right to Life of Michigan Legislative Director Ed Rivet address why Michigan needs a state law banning partial birth abortion.
In June 2008, pro-abortion former Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed a ban on partial-birth abortions for a second time. She claimed the bill needed a health exception even though the Supreme Court had already upheld a federal ban saying such an exception was unnecessary. In fact, physicians groups had indicated that late-term abortions pose problems for women’s health and there is no reason to ever do the disputed abortion procedure to protect the health of women.
In October 2003, Governor Granholm vetoed Senate Bill 395, the “Legal Birth Definition Act,” which sought to prohibit partial-birth abortion by granting full legal status to the child as soon as any part of his or her body emerges from the mother.
